A/N Well I'm back after taking a break and writing a few one shots. After writing those I realized I am seriously underachieving with this story. So I'm trying to kick it up a notch. I hope I've managed to pick up the quality with thischapter. But of course it's up to you to tell me if I have.Read and review
Archeologists in Egypt have unearthed two 1,000-year-old golden tablets, engraved with, mysteriously enough, an ancient unknown language. The artifacts were unearthed in the remains of an ancient city that was buried under the sands not far from the Great Pyramids of Egypt. The city appeared to have been destroyed either by a natural disaster or by invading enemies. The unusual thing about this discovery is that there are no records of the city in any Egyptian records.
Chief archaeologist Krzysztof Malakowski and his team will be the ones attempting to translate the tablets.
"Yes, we would have never found the ancient city without the monetary and historical resources of some anonymous philanthropists; with our financial status we should have the tablets translated by…
Agent Epsilon immediately changed the channel of the only television in the henchman lounge. There was nothing he hated worse then educational television. Unfortunately Gemini had put a V chip on every T.V except his, so there was rarely anything worth watching in the lair.
…Thanks to enormous support from financial sponsors, scientists using nanotechnology have broken new ground on self-replicating robo…
"Nothing but crap." Epsilon changed the channel again.
"And now for our crackpot of the week… a homeless man who seems to of Brazilian descent has been harassing the locals of a small Texas town spouting nonsense about the coming of a new Go…"
"Agent Epsilon…"
Epsilon waved his hand dismissively. "Leave me alone I'm on break."
"Break?"
Suddenly the loveseat that Epsilon was resting on was lifted off the ground and heaved toward the wall.
"How can I take over the world when I have henchman taking two hour lunch breaks?" Gemini roared.
A group of henchman who were also in the lounge scattered like roaches back to their workstations.
"I'm surrounded by incompetents."
"Uh, excuse me sir?"
Gemini scowled menacingly at Agent Iota. "What is it and it better be good?"
Iota smiled nervously. "There is a representative from the Brotherhood in the waiting room."
Gemini began to massage his forehead. "Oh, this is not my day."
XXXXXXX
Gemini entered the waiting room and immediately spotted the representative. He wore the typical Brotherhood clothing, the green hooded robes embroidered with ancient symbols and snake images.
But this representative acted differently from the others, he had a happy-go-lucky- look to him, not the 'we're all business' image the other representatives had greeted Gemini with. This one was, embarrassingly enough, scanning through a "gentleman's" magazine in the waiting room. His eyes were practically glued to the pages; it was if he had no shame
"Ahem."
The representative looked up, smiling happily. "Gemini I suppose."
"Yes, what can I do for you?"
The representative stood, stretched and took a deep breath. "Things with the Brotherhood are going great, but all this success is kind of boring. When everything comes so easily it gets so a little boring. So the council has decided that I be reassigned as your consultant, how does that sound?"
"Consultant?" Gemini said indignantly. "I don't need any…"
The representative slapped him on the back. "Don't worry about it big guy, you're still in charge. I'm just here to make sure you're on the right track. So, how are those assassinations coming along?"
The question caught Gemini by surprise; so far their attempts had become huge failures. "Well… uh… we've…"
The representative laughed. "Oh man, that look on your face is priceless." He playfully jabbed Gemini in the ribs with his elbow. "Just between me and you, the Brotherhood isn't too worried about the people on the list. In fact, as of right now, we could care less about them. But the truth is, W.E.E has been a great help to us. Your spy satellites, the U.S senators and U.N. officials on the payroll, its lovely, everything is just lovely."
"Really… well of course we have, I'm running a tight ship around here," Gemini replied, hoping to hide how relieved he felt.
The representative eyed him curiously. "So Gemini, what are you working on now?"
"Well first and foremost uh… we're working on plan to eliminate Global Justice."
"Of course."
"And we've created the prototype of android with genuine human like qualities."
"Ooooh, that sounds interesting."The representative rubbed the tiny stubble of hair under his chin. "Which reminds me, I met an interesting young man the other day."
"We can have him eliminated if you want."
"Oh that won't be necessary… yet. But this android gives me a splediferic idea."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Three days later.
Kim flipped through the magazine doing her best to read while ignoring the loud and frantic tapping that echoed throughout the Stoppable's living room. She sat on an armchair adjacent to the couch where Ron and Anthony were going through another round of Pleasure kill, Ron's newest fighting game.
"Hey, you're pretty good at this," Ron huffed, drops of sweat appeared on his head. "Do you play a lot of video games back home?"
Anthony's remained completely focused. "Video games have been found to improve spatial abilities, the ability to create and apply multiple strategies, and may even help develop critical analyzing techniques. All of which are vital for survival on the battlefield."
"Ok…" Ron did a quick glance at Kim, then he turned back to the game, "and they're also fun!"
"Come on… yes… yes… yes!" Ron stood up and raised his hand in victory. "Victory from the jaws of defeat. Wow, even Felix couldn't take me to the limit in this game."
"Good game," Anthony said, when he noticed the empty bottle of soda on the coffee table. "I'll go get us some more soda."
"Hold on… in the end there, you didn't just let me win, right?"
Anthony paused for a second. "No."
"Alright, I just had to know for self esteem purposes." Ron dropped down on the couch as Anthony headed for the kitchen.
"You know he let you win," Kim said without looking up from her magazine.
"Oh yeah," Ron replied, "and the fact that you noticed that makes it so much worse. Did you see how bad a liar he is?"
Kim put the magazine down on her lap. "Speaking off lying, how much do you know about your cousin?"
Ron picked up his controller and started a quick single player game. "Not much really, but he's pretty cool."
"So…"
Oh jeez she's not going drop it, oh well it was bound to happen sooner or later.
He was actually surprised she had taken so long to bring it up.
"…he's your mother's youngest sister's son, right?"
Well at least she's not being blunt about it
"Yes, that is true, seeing that being the son of my mother's youngest sister is kind of the definition of cousin."
"Now correct me if I'm wrong, your mother hasn't seen her sister in years."
"Almost on two decades," Ron answered.
"And she still hasn't heard from her?"
Ron shifted on the couch. "Right."
"And you've never heard or seen any evidence of your cousin's existence before he arrived a week ago?"
"Can't deny that."
"And you don't find anything suspicious about this?"
Ron sighed and leaned back against the couch cushions. "Kim, he's not a synthodrone."
Her eyebrow arched. "And you know this how?"
"Well for one thing, I poked him with a needle and he didn't spill green goo all over the expensive carpet in the guest room."
"Ok, maybe he's not a synthodrone but he could be something else. Are you forgetting how many enemies we have?"
"Have you forgotten how he helped us with Monique?"
"Maybe that's all part of his plan. Some people will do anything to get back at us."
"Paranoia does not look good on KP. All I know for sure is that Anthony is a good guy."
Kim looked at him incredulously. "Come on, that's probably part of the act to fool you and your family. Don't tell me are actually falling for this long lost cousin story?"
Ron shrugged. "Look, I didn't say that. I'm not sure why he's here, maybe he needs our help. Whatever it is, he's not ready to tell us for some reason, but I don't think he's a villain and I trust him. I'd appreciate it if you did too."
She looked at him thoughtfully. "You know we can have Wade scan his DNA."
"KP!"
"Fine… you know, you might be a little too trusting."
Ron pointed to himself. "I'm too trusting? I don't remember going to the junior prom with a synth…"
A couch pillow flew at his face before he could finish.
"Don't you dare!" Kim threatened.
"You know, what was its name… oh right, Eric" he said in a fasellto voice, he put his hand to his heart and batted his eyelashes. "How could I forget such a smoking hottie. Remember the cute way he oozed all over the floor when Rufus bit him? Why'd you two ever breakup anyway?"
Kim tackled him to the ground, she slid on top of him and pinned him by the wrists. "You know perfectly well what happened."
Ron flashed a mischievous smile. "No really, you guys were a great couple. If you looked past the fact that he wasn't real I think you guys could have gone far."
"What kind of boyfriend brings up his girlfriend's biggest mistake?"
"I'm sorry," he pretended to cry, "it's just so hard to forget that I was almost replaced by inanimate object. I don't think I'll ever get over it."
She placed her palm on the side of his face and kissed him tenderly. "Are you over it now?"
"I think that's probably enough too… wait, I'm remembering something else. It's coming to me in pieces. I'm trapped somewhere… I think… yes… I'm trapped in a closest… does the name Mankey mean anything to you?"
"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"
He shook his head. "I just need something to help me… forget."
She brushed her hair back and kissed him again. They closed their eyes as the kiss deepened, Ron's hands instinctively reached under her shirt…"
Just as Anthony walked back into the living room. "Uh Ron, there's no more drinks… uh whoa!"
They opened their eyes to see Anthony standing just a few feet away. His face was now bright red, he did a quick 180 degree turn and turned his back too them.
"Oh crap I'm sorry… I… wow, that is awkward."
The phone rang, and Kim jumped to her feet, smoothing out her shirt. "I'll get that." She quickly rushed out of the room.
"Sorry about that," Ron said from the floor. "Sometimes we forget there are other people in the immediate area. But we really need to talk about something called timing."
"I can leave when she comes back?"
Ron waved his hand. "No it's fine, the mood has passed. Well actually, the mood has passed for her. I on the other hand always have time for a lit…"
"Okay," Anthony interrupted; he took a deep breath, "I get the idea"
It was around the fourth time that Anthony had walked in on a similar scene. With the way they acted, he was now beginning to wonder why he didn't have at least two older siblings.
Ron picked himself off the ground and brushed some dust off the back of his shirt. "Ok, so shall we play again?"
Play? I think I need some more time to recover.
"Sure," Anthony answered.
They sat down on the couch when Kim returned to the living room. Her face seemed paler than usual.
"Is it for me?" Ron inquired.
"No, it's for Anthony."
"Me?" Anthony said in complete shock
"Is it his mom?"
"No actually, it's Bonnie."
XXXXXXXXXXX
"How'd she get this number?" Anthony asked.
Ron put his hand up. "I may have given it to her when I signed her yearbook."
"Why would you do that?" Kim and Anthony asked at the same time.
"I did it for everybody! You know, keep in touch and all that garbage. I never thought she'd ever call my house!" Ron exclaimed.
Kim lowered head. "Well anyway, she's waiting on the phone."
Anthony looked at Kim like she was crazy. "What do you want to me to do about it?"
"Uh, go talk to her! She already knows you're here."
Anthony shook his head aggressively. "I can't talk to her."
They looked at him puzzled. "Why not?"
"Why not… I…can barely talk to any girls socially… and Bonnie she's on a whole different level."
"I thought you had a friend who was a girl back at home."
"Yeah I do, we've known each other for years and eighty percent of the time, I've no idea what she's thinking. It's like everything she does and says to me is completely random."
Ron shot a glance at Kim. "Weeeellllllllll…"
"Don't say another word smart guy," Kim told him.
Ron quickly turned back to Anthony. "Look, it's not that big of a deal, it's just a phone call."
Anthony shook his head again. "Look, let me make this as simple and clear as possible… I can't do it."
"Wait a minute, Alright, Bonnie and I aren't the best of friends, but she went out of her way to call, so she deserves at least to hear from your own mouth that you're not interested. You can't be rude about this."
Anthony blinked at his Kim, than at his father. "Right, I can't be rude… ok I'll do it." He got up and walked out of the living room.
Ron waited until Anthony was out of earshot. "Yes! Bonbon is going to get shot down by a member of my family. It could only be better if I was doing it myself," he laughed.
"What is going on?"
"KP, I totally forgot to tell you. You remember last week when we were at Bueno Nacho. When Anthony went outside, he ran into Bonnie and it looks like now she's crushing on him."
"No way… I'm surprised that he's Bonnie type."
"What's that supposed mean? Anthony's a fine looking young man."
"You're just being defensive because he sort of looks like you."
XXXXXX
Around five minutes later Anthony walked slowly into the living with a dazed look on his face.
"What happened?" Kim asked.
"What happened? We're going out this weekend, that's what happened!"
"What?" Ron cried. "What did you say?"
Anthony continued in a monotonous voice. "What did I say? I said jkfhjgggllkkfklLFkefkkkgkklgkglkmju…. uh OK. That's what I said."
Kim gave him a funny look. "That's what you really said?"
"Verbatim."
"Wow," Ron sighed. "Well, Bonnie couldn't be all that bad, nobody is."
"She comes closest," Kim remarked, as she started to once again flip through her magazine."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Later that evening
Ron was staring out of the kitchen window as Kim approached. Something outside had apparently captured his attention.
"What are you doing?"
"This guy is outside on the front lawn doing sit ups. He must have at least two hundred already."
"Who, Anthony?"
"Yeah, I've never seen anyone just casually get up and start exercising, it's insane. It's got to be some kind of mental disorder."
"Maybe you can learn something from your cousin. You could probably benefit from a few sit-ups yourself."
"Are trying to say I'm fat because…" He stopped mid sentence to rethink the consequences of his words.
There's a joke here and it's a pretty good but can I take such a ris?. We've been best friends forever and we've been a couple for three years. She should be able to handle some playfully teasing about her weight. She'll probably think it's funny too I mean it's only a joke, right?
Kim glared at him almost daring him to finish the sentence. "Because what?"
Ron quickly weighed the pros and cons again. "Because… you're absolutely right, it wouldn't hurt me to do a few sit-ups."
She smiled at him. "Very good, you avoided temptation. That's a sign of maturity and wisdom."
Ron turned back to the window. "I'm not an artist Kim, but sometimes I know exactly when to draw the line."
XXX
Aaron chimed in from Anthony's earpiece. "So you're telling me that in two days you have a date with Bonnie Rockwaller?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."
"What about Maya?"
Anthony lay down on his back. "What about her?"
"Well, I'm not so sure your girlfriend would approve you going out with another gal."
"First of all, she's not my girlfriend, and second of all, I didn't have choice. I was ambushed I didn't know what to do…"
"Dude, calm down, what are you getting all excited about?"
"… I still don't know what to do, you should have seen the way she walks… talks… her body moves like, whoa. What am I going to do man? It's like, I've just learned how to add and now someone is tossing me a few Calculus problems."
"I don't get you man, when we're in a life threatening situation and you've got a gun to your head, you turn into the freaking Terminator, but a chick wiggles her way towards you and all of a sudden it's Revenge of the Nerds."
"I'm a fighter Aaron, not a lover. Ask me to infiltrate an enemy base and I'm right there with you. Ask me what how to talk to a girl and I'm at a loss."
"You can't back out of it now."
"No, I guess not."
Anthony heard Aaron sigh. "I guess if you're going to cheat on my sister, it might as well be with a smoking hottie like Bonnie."
"You know what… you're not… helping…" Anthony sputtered a few incomprehensible words before regaining his composure. "Any new info on The Brotherhood?"
"Not really, and I've been really searching the net. I've combed through some C.I.A files but the government doesn't even believe they exist."
"What… C.I.A files? Are you insane, that is illegal!"
Aaron sounded a bit irritated. "Illegal? We're trying to win a war here, how the am I supposed to find info when I'm restricted to where I can hack?"
Aaron was right, they had to do whatever was necessary to come out on top.
"By the way do you want to know who killed…?"
"No I don't, just stop." Anthony looked up into the sky, the sun was beginning to set. The entire landscape took on a surreal saffron hue as the clouds reflected the fading sun's red and orange glow.
"Sometimes, I stay up thinking about this war. Not what would happen if we lose, but what would happen when we win? Everything will change, our future will disappear, all of our experiences, no matter how good or bad, will be erased, and we'll be totally different people."
"Well, you'll be a total different person anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable, yeah those two hooking up is pretty much set in stone."
Anthony's heart skipped a beat when he realized where Aaron was headed with this.
"The chances of you being born are pretty good. It's a different story for me and Maya, we were born because of the war."
"Your dad, he was a refugee from a destroyed city right."
"No… the truth is that he was a former member of the Brotherhood."
Anthony sat upright. "What?"
"My mom told me about him on my last birthday. Even Maya doesn't know the truth. Story goes like this… my mother got captured and was taken to one of the many prison camps that existed. My dad was a Brotherhood Lieutenant who just happened to stop by the camp to get more supplies for his troops. I don't know, maybe he was tired of the war, or he was just a love struck fool, but he helped her escape. She lied and told everyone he was an escaped prisoner like her, and well, they stayed together until, you know… he was killed. The point is, the war brought them together. Without the war, the chances of them finding each other are slim. Just like the thousands of other kids who are products of a terrible tragedy, no war equals… no us."
"Aaron I'm…"
"Don't worry about, I'm not worried. I've already comes to terms with it, and I'm sure Maya would too. That's why I'm enjoying the past as much as I can. Anyway, it's all for a better future right? So I'll follow my team captain to heaven, hell, or nonexistence."
Anthony sat in complete silence he wiped away the tears that were starting to form in his eyes. "Aaron you're…"
"Oh don't get all girly on me."
"… a good friend!"
"Please, I'm your only friend."
Anthony laughed. "I guess you're right, but that doesn't bother me at all."
XXXXXXXXX
Two day later.
"Mo… uh Kim, just do me a huge favor? When Bonnie comes, tell her I went back home."
Kim rolled her eyes as she leaned against the bathroom door. "You're being ridiculous about this. Now get out of the bathroom, everything will be fine."
"No, it won't!" Anthony said from behind the door. "I'm a loser, ok, fine, there, I admit it… social skills are not my part of my deal. I can't be social with people, especially with girls."
Where is Ron, this is his cousin, it should be his problem?
"Look Anthony, I need to use the bathroom. Now you're either going to walk out of there peacefully or I'm going to break the door down."
"Fine," Anthony said a moment later, "I'm coming out."
"Whoa," Kim cried when he opened the door. Her nostrils suddenly felt like they were on fire, "did you bathe in Ron's cologne?"
Anthony sniffed the air. "Is that a problem?"
Kim brought her hands to her face. "Ok, since your Ron's family, I'm going to help you out."
XXXXXXX
Ron sat on the porch and watched as the Mercedes convertible, slowly entered the driveway to his house.
Wow…
Then the driver stepped out of the expensive looking vehicle.
Double wow…
He didn't want to think that but he couldn't help it. Wow was the only word that popped into his head when he got a good look at her. The brunette wore a curve flattering silk blouse over a tight straight shirt, dark stockings, and black suede high heel sandals.
She means business!
"That's not the first time I've caught you staring at me Stoppable. I guess old habits never die."
"Oh Bonbon," he finally managed to say, "how many times do I have to tell you we can't be together? Don't make get a restraining order."
She smiled at him. "Why Ron, have you become even more delusional over the years?"
"What?" Ron looked around feigning confusion. "How can you deny the latent sexual tension we've had between us all these years. I know you've wanted a piece of the Ron man for a long time."
"Oh please, keep your wet dreams to yourself. You don't think I'd come here dressed like this…" she did a little spin to show off, "…for you, now that would be an obvious waste of my talents."
Ron shrugged. "I don't know, Anthony and I do look alike. I think that means something."
She looked him over and chuckled softly. "I'll admit there are some similarities but your cousin, unlike you, is two steps above gorgeous and one notch below delicious."
"Hey, I'm delicious!" he protested. "But something bugs me. You're really going out of your way to get at my cousin. Don't you prefer being chased then chasing?"
She walked over to him. "You might not realize it but good looking people like me attract a lot of phonies with only one thing on their mind. Your cousin is different, he's hot, he's a gentleman, he's brave, strong, and his innocence is just so cute and refreshing. It's not everyday you meet a guy like that."
She brought her face down until it was only a few inches from him. "So, in short, in my search for the perfect guy for me, I'm being really…" She licked the top of her lip slowly and seductively, "… aggressive."
Ron wiped his forehead. "Alright, I can't deny that was a pretty hot moment there. If anybody can say anything good about you BonBon, it's that you really know how to turn the heat up on a guy."
"What can I say, it's a gift."
Abruptly Ron's facial expression changed from playful to one of doubt and suspicion.
"What's with the dirty look?"
"You can play me Bonnie, that's fine, I'm used to it, but my family is off limits. If you're trying to hurt me or Kim by using my cousin, then we're going to have a personal problem."
They stared at each other for a moment. This was the first time Bonnie had ever heard Ron talk this way. She wasn't sure if he was entirely serious, but after studying his face for a moment, she was able to confirm just how serious he was.
"Aren't we overprotective, I didn't know you were Anthony's father?"
"I'm just making sure no one gets hurt."
"I can't guarantee no one will get hurt. But if you really want to know this is legitimate date."
"Hey, what's going on?" Kim asked as she stepped onto the front porch.
"Kim, Bonnie's trying to seduce me away from you."
"Right," Bonnie laughed, "don't worry Kim I'd never try to steal your favorite pet from you."
Kim glared angrily at her, Bonnie glared back. They shot daggers at each from their eyes. The atmosphere around them was heavy with tension.
Man if look could kill… Ron thought, Bonnie's right though, some things will never change. They should just fight and get it over. Yeah, fight it out… in a tub filled with nacho cheese… with nothing but bikinis on… itsy bitsy tinnie weenie yellow poka dot bikinis…
"Ron!"
"What?
"You're drooling in public again," Kim told him.
Ron wiped the spittle of his mouth with his sleeve. "Sorry, I was thinking about something uh… tasty." He casually and nonchalantly crossed his legs.
God please, don't let anyone ask me to stand up.
Bonnie had a disgusted look on her face, as she stared at the drool puddle on the floor. "I really hope that weirdness doesn't run in the family."
Someone coughed and all eyes fell on Anthony as he appeared from behind the front door Bonnie smiled as she waved at him.
His eyes fell on her, all over her. "H… Ha… Hijba… Hiaaha…"
Kim gently smacked him in the back of his head. "Breathe."
"Hello," Anthony said after taking a deep breath.
"You are such a cutie. So shall we go?"
"Sure," he squealed. He walked down the stairs with his hands swaying stiffly by his side. "Where are we going?"
"A place called Velocity."
That name was sounded familiar to Ron.
Velocity is a dance club and lounge, I think we've been there before; yeah Monique dragged us there for a party once.
"Well, goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable." She turned to Ron. "I'll be sure to bring your boy home safely," she laughed.
Anthony failed to hear the comment as he was doing his best to keep from hyperventilating.
He followed her to the car but he couldn't help notice how much her hips swayed suggestively as she walked. Anthony turned to Ron who nodded to him as if to say 'I know'.
Kim noticed the exchange and smacked Ron in the back of his head.
A few moments later, they watched as Bonnie drove off. Ron suddenly rushed into his house without a word, leaving Kim alone on the porch. A minute later he came out wearing a hooded parka.
He kissed Kim on the cheek. "Wait here, I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going?"
"Uh… to the store"
"You want me to come with?"
"Naww… I'll be back in a jiff."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Anthony to a quick look in Bonnie's direction, he wondered if it was a bad thing that he hadn't said a thing since she started driving.
"Say something you idiot," Aaron remarked.
Why did I ask Aaron for help?
"Um you look beautiful today… I mean tonight… no evening…"
"You are such a loser."
Bonnie chuckled softly. "Oh my god, you are the just the sweetest thing aren't you? Most guys would be playing such stupid games right now. Talking about their cars or jobs they don't really have, or their package. Sometimes, a girl can get tired of that."
Package? What does that mean… oh package… I'm in way over my head here.
"Man, do you see what she's wearing?"
Thanks to Anthony's specially made contact lens, Aaron could see whatever Anthony saw, perhaps even more.
Bonnie gave him a frosty smile. "So where are you from?"
Anthony smiled. "I'm going to you the truth. Right now I don't even remember my name."
Bonnie laughed again.
"Good, good, lay down the charm."
"Is this the first date you've ever been on?"
"Say no… no wait, laugh at her a little… then tell her this isn't your first trip around the block, but in a smooth way."
"Yes it is," Anthony replied honestly.
"Well," she powered the Mercedes forward, "let's make sure your first time is one you'll never forget."
"Oh jeez did you hear that… I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight!"
I wasn't long before she brought the car to a screeching halt in front a building with a huge sign neon sign displaying the word Velocity for the whole world to see.
Bonnie turned off the engine. "Coming?" she asked.
"Tell her not until you do. But in a smooth, nonchalant way"
Anthony wondered again why he'd ask for Aaron's help.
XXXXX
Anthony followed her to the large double door in front of the club where a hulking giant of a bouncer stood. He took one glance at Bonnie and he let them pass. Once through the door, they were bombarded with throbbing rock/slash techno music, and neon lights glittering overhead. A strobe light flickered over the dozens of bodies on the dance floor.
"You know how to dance right?"
Anthony replied as if he was reading through a textbook. "Dancing can raise the heart rate anywhere from 80 to 120 beats per minute. That is the equivalent of any strength training or aerobic program. Sustained in 2 minute bursts over a 45 minute period will build not only your heart's strength, but its endurance too."
"Ok… that's good to know." She pulled him close, really, really close. "Dance with me." She soon had his body swaying with hers.
Anthony gulped. I'm not just in over my head. I'm drowning.
XXXXXXXXX
Ron signaled for the taxicab to come to a stop in front of the club. It wasn't like he didn't trust Bonnie… ok, it was that he didn't trust Bonnie. But there was another factor here. Every since Anthony had come to visit, he always had a 'deer in the headlights' look on him. And you don't throw a deer in a cage with a lion and expect it to come out unharmed.
Alright, maybe he was being too protective but it somehow felt like that was how it should be, they had formed some kind of bond. He also got a strange vibe from Anthony; it was the same kind of vibe he had gotten once from a lost child he had met at the mall a few years ago.
The bouncer stopped him in front of the door. "You're not getting in dressed like that."
"Ok," Ron pulled his wallet, "maybe my old friend Lincoln will change your mind?" The bouncer continued to look forward ignoring Ron.
"Fine how about Hamilton… Jackson… look, I don't have a real job, I can't afford anymore."
The bouncer kept on ignoring him.
"Alright, is Ulysses S. Grant too cool for the room?"
The Bouncer opened up his hand as he continued to look forward. Ron placed the fifty in his open palm and watched as the bouncer stepped aside.
He walked though the door and was instantly blasted by the loud music. "This place is rocking more than I remember."
Ron pulled the hood over his head and the collar over his face. He moved through the dance floor slowly scanning the area until he spotted Bonnie and Anthony. He scouted a corner of the dance floor where he could keep an eye on them and stay out of their field of vision at the same time.
XXXXXXXXX
After awhile, Anthony wasn't feeling scared at all, in fact he was feeling pretty good. It was like nothing he had ever experienced in his lifetime. His senses were constantly being bombarded on all sides. The music was getting faster and more overwhelming, and overpowering. Through the corner of his eye, he saw people sweating and pressing against each other as the neon lights made the world around them seem more exciting and surreal. And last, but definitely not least, Bonnie was rubbing her body all over him, just grinding away at him.
This has got to be the single greatest moment of my life. I wouldn't mind doing this two, hell, ten times a week.
That's when he felt it, the hairs on the back of his neck rose, and his skin tingled slightly. He instantly broke out of the hypnotic trance of the club, his senses were now on high alert. Someone was watching them, someone dangerous.
It wasn't just paranoia; his training under Yori had thought him the difference between paranoia and sensing danger.
And he was definitely sensing danger.
XXXXXXX
Ron continued to watch them as he hid in the corner of the dance floor.
Good lord Bonnie is freak… if I asked nicely I wonder if Kim would…
"Oh my god!" someone shrieked.
Ron turned to a girl who was now in hysterics. She stared right at him.
"You're Ron Stoppable."
"What… no I'm not, you're mistaken." Ron tried to walk away.
"Yes you are! I saw you on TV!"
Yes on Oprah's heroes of the year celebration. That was me and yes I am famous and I am that good looking.
"No, you haven't," he told her quickly.
The girls signaled to a group of her girl friends. "Look, it's Ron Stoppable!"
As Ron attempted to sneak away, his cell phone rang. He instinctively picked it up and he immediately regretted doing so.
"Hello Ron, are you there?"
He smacked himself in the forehead. "Idiot… oh hey KP. Where am I?" There was no way in the world she couldn't hear the loud music.
"I'm at the store, it's a really long line. Oh you're at the store… well, you caught me I'm actually at Bueno Nacho. Music? What music? Oh, the loud music I was wondering about that myself."
"Oh my god it is him… I love you so much!" another girl squealed.
Ron tried to wave them away.
More girls appeared. "He looks cuter here than on TV!"
"Dance with me!" another shouted.
"What was what?" Ron said into the phone. "What did that sound like to you… a pack of teenaged groupies throwing themselves at me? Kim, you've got a whacky imagination… ok, I'm coming into a tunnel, I love you, bye."
He hung up the phone and turned it off; he realized then that he should have done that earlier.
"Oh, I'm going to pay for this one."
XXXXXXXX
As much as he didn't want to, Anthony had to stop Bonnie from rubbing up against him for a moment. There was someone dangerous watching, he was sure of it. He had to figure out who it was quickly. He asked Bonnie where the bathroom was and he excused himself. He made his way along the dance floor in the direction of the bathroom, when he suddenly felt that he was indeed being followed.
Anthony entered the bathroom and positioned him in a corner of the room so when the door opened, he could easily hide behind it and get a good look at his pursuer. If the guy did anything funny, he'd get the first attack in.
He waited for a few minutes and then just as expected, the door opened, and in walked a smooth looking businessman. He was tall and tan, but other that, he was just a normal looking man. Suddenly, he stumbled forward, like he was in a drunken stupor. Anthony rushed to his side and grabbed him before he could drop. "Are you ok sir?"
The man turned abruptly and backhanded Anthony in the face. The attack dazed Anthony, putting the man in perfect position to circle behind him and put on a sleeper hold with his right arm. He tightened his arm around Anthony's neck and forced him to his knees.
Anthony struggled mightily to free himself.
"Good evening young scion."
Anthony stopped, that voice, it was familiar, it was coming from the man in the suit's watch. The man made sure his watch was positioned right next to Anthony's ear.
"You!" Anthony seethed.
A laugh came from the watch. "'You' is such an informal term. Call me Uncle Judah."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ron found himself surround by dozens of admirers. Although it was very flattering, all this accolades would blow his cover.
That's when he spotted Anthony walking towards the bathrooms with a serious look on his face.
What happened?
"Excuse me ladies I've got…"
"Ladies and Gentleman," it was the club's DJ, "we've got a celebrity in the house. A spotlight fell on Ron. "Middleton's own Ron Stoppable!"
Well, so much for my cover.
"And since he's here tonight we're going do something special. You guys are lucky, you're going get an exclusive test run tonight of an unreleased track The Naked Mole Rap Remix."
What? Someone sampled my song?"
SIREN sounds
"Yeeeeeahhhhh! There are a lotta losers in the club tonight. But its gonna be aight, (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) Here's an exclusive to get you all crunk. Big John, Ron Stoppable, this is the remix. Peace up M town down, lets Gooooo!"
"Yo', listen up, have a howler from Ron. 'Naked Mole Rap' is the name of the song. (Yeeeeeaaaahhhh!) Here's a story in all it's glory. Ain't hidin' nothin', don't know what the truth is how Ron met Rufus"
The crowd went crazy; it was like everyone in the club hit the dance floor at the same time. The came together and crowded around him, dozens of dancers pressed and writhed against each other in mass frenzy with Ron trapped in the middle.
He tried to make his way through the mass of people to no avail, they seemed hell bent at keeping him in the center.
"Handed him to me, said, "Be careful don't drop it, and do you want this cage?"
"No, I'll keep him in my pocket (YEEEEEAAAAHHH!)"
By then, he had already lost sight of Anthony.
XXXXXXXXX
"On second thought, Uncle Judah just doesn't roll off the tongue as I thought it would. Plain and simple Judah will be fine. You know, it took you along time to notice us, I mean, it's not like we've been watching you for the past twenty four hours or anything."
Anthony continued to struggle against the man in the suit, but he abnormally strong.
"Don't struggle, he'll just tighten his hold. I wouldn't him to snap your neck. Now my dear scion, have you thought over what we talked about? Will you continue to fight the inevitable or will you stand by your father's side with the Brotherhood?"
"I'll never let you have him"
"Tsk, tsk, you're not really in the position to argue. Look at that mirror."
The man adjusted his position just slightly to point Anthony's face toward the mirror over the sink. "Do you see that person? That is the face of a person who doesn't really know who he is, a person who can't see the big picture. A person who doesn't realize he's not even supposed to be here and he is insignificant in the grand scheme of things."
The man applied more pressure to Anthony's neck. "Did you see that… he's in pain. And that's all he'll get if he keeps fighting; pain, emotional and physical."
"I'll kill you," Anthony cried his face was getting redder and redder.
"Kill me? Have you ever killed anyone before? I doubt you have it in you, you're all talk. Me though, I've killed, annihilated, asphyxiated, assassinated, bumped off, butchered, chilled, creamed, dispatched, done in, dumped, eradicated, erased, executed exterminated, iced, murdered, neutralized, obliterated, polished off, rubbed out, and snuffed out many people. Oh wait, I may have possibly wasted someone too. In fact I can order this guy to snap your neck right now. I could have killed you the night we met. But I'm… we're being generous. We're offering you the chance to join the winning side, the side your father will eventually lead…"
As Judah rambled on Anthony positioned his chin into the crook of the choking arm. Then he raised his shoulder while pressing down with his chin to relieve some of the choking pressure, but it wasn't nearly enough He cursed himself for being trapped like this. He could hear Yori-sensei's scolding voice.
"Shame on you for letting him sneak up on you, always protect your airway, you could never be a Ninja."
Always protect your airway…
Those were the last words Anthony usually heard before he blacked out in Yori's arms
The man in the suit forced Anthony to his feet, and leaned backwards. Applying more pressure to Anthony's neck, his face was becoming redder by the second.
Ok Sensei how about this?
"Judah, if you're going to have some one put a choke hold on me, make sure they know how to put it on right!"
Anthony reached up with both hands and grabbed the back of the man's head and dropped to the ground, smashing the attacker's face off his head. Blood gushed from the attacker's broken nose, his hold on Anthony loosened.
Anthony quickly smashed his elbow into his attacker's ribs, breaking free from the hold completely. Then he angrily side kicked the man into a nearby stall. The man landed perfectly on the toilet seat. From that sitting position he growled at Anthony and wiped the blood from his nose.
"Well, well," said Judah from the watch, "You've finally made this interesting."
XXXXXX
"We've heard of Bueno Nacho, chimerito and a naco. Always grande size it. Why not? I'm buyin'! Rufus in my pocket, you can't stop it, can't top it, don't drop it, you might just pop it!"
Ron attempted to make his way through the crowd of dancing fanatics, but he wasn't making any leeway.
"There you are!"
Ron turned to face Bonnie.
"Where's Anthony?" they both said at the same time. Then they stared at each other in confusion.
Something was wrong.
XXXXXX
The man in the suit shot out of the stall like a torpedo. He forcefully pushed Anthony into the bathroom wall, then, showing amazing strength, he ripped a faucet from its sink. He swung at Anthony who dodged the blow, and it smashed into the wall, sending large pieces of tile to the floor.
The man lifted the faucet up and the air, intent on bringing it down on Anthony's skull. Anthony sidestepped to his left and grabbed the man's with both of his hands. Then Anthony guided his right arm downward, smacking his hand against the sink. The faucet fell to the ground but the man didn't flinch. He elbowed Anthony in the face with his left arm. The powerful blow stunned Anthony again. The man football tackled Anthony into the wall and pinned him there.
Anthony heard Judah laugh. "Nice job Scion, you're not bad. But really, what's all this trash about killing me huh? You can't even handle a simple henchman. You'd think the son of the future ruler of the world would be a bit stronger. How can you expect to change anything when you're so weak?"
Anthony felt his blood boil, in a fit of rage he pushed the man off. He began a bombardment of straight jabs to the man's face.
"I mean, is that really the best you can do?"
The man kicked with his right foot Anthony caught his foot and wrapped his right arm around it. He stepped forward and, using his left foot, he forcefully kicked the man in his left knee, dislocating his kneecap
"You'll never be able to live up to your father's name like that…"
"Shut up!" Anthony screamed as he smashed his forearm into the man's face, sending him flying to the ground. Anthony leaped on top of him and started to pound on the man's face.
He forgot about dating and girls and all that irrelevant nonsense, this was what he was born for. This was what he was really good at and it was all that mattered right now.
"Shame really. How can you expect to make your father proud when this is all you can do?"
Blinded by an intense rage Anthony picked the man up from the floor "I'll show what I can do! I'll show you what will happen if any of you come near my family!"
Anthony's heart sped up uncontrollably, pumping adrenaline into his system. Using all of the natural strength he could muster he hurled the man's body towards the bathroom door.
XXXXXXXX
Mwuah! Buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye, buh-bye...
The song was finally over and Ron had managed to squeeze his way through the now dispersing crowd. He was heading quickly towards the bathroom. He was a few feet from the wooden bathroom door, when it burst open and he watched as body flew through it and slid across the ground.
The music came to an instant stop and everyone stopped whatever they were doing and stared in silence.
Ron watched as Anthony emerged from the bathroom a look of rage on his bruised face.
"Anthony!"
Anthony couldn't hear him he was lost in his own world of rage and vengeance. He rushed over to the man in the suit body and lifted his leg.
"Anthony what are you doing!"
It was too late, in his mind Anthony had already decided to cross the point of no return. He brought foot down with a sickening thud on the man's neck.
There was an eerie silence in the club. A second or two passed liked that, nothing but complete silence. Anthony stepped awkwardly away from the body his head and heart throbbing wildly. His rage gone, he was now drained, completely numb from the horror of his own actions. He wanted nothing more than to be at home in his mother's arms while she sang a lullaby, she always did have a beautiful voice.
Ron rushed over to them, and Anthony looked at him like he was ghost.
"What did you do?" Ron screamed at him. "What's wrong with you?"
Anthony felt a sharp pain in his heart. "… he was evil!"
"That doesn't give you the right to just take someone's life. You had him down on the ground, it was over. Killing when it isn't necessary makes you nothing but an inhuman monster!" Every word out Ron's mouth was like a knife into Anthony's heart. Ron kneeled over the body to check the man's pulse.
Anthony closed his eyes; this was the way it had to be. This was extreme reality of the world.
"Acccckk"
Anthony opened his eyes to see an arm reach out and grab Ron by the throat. He watched in horror as the man picked himself off the floor.
He's an android.
The android stood up straight with its head still hanging at a ninety degree angle. Someone screamed at the sight of him and a panic started. A swarm of people rushed towards the exits. It glanced at Ron and flung him indiscriminately into the remaining onlookers.
The android grabbed its head and with a disturbing crack popped it back into place. Finally it turned towards to Anthony.
Someone laughed heartily.
Judah
"You probably thought you just killed a man in cold blood didn't you. My young Scion, you've just been punked. But look at it this way, now we both know that you've got that killer instinct."
The android suddenly turned away from Anthony. "Well, isn't this a surprise, another interesting person is still here."
Anthony spotted Bonne who was standing over Ron's motionless body.
"Bonnie, run!"
She heard his shout and she attempted to rush towards the exit. But you can't run that fast in high heels. The android intercepted her halfway to the exit. It grabbed her forcefully by the neck.
"Let her go!" Anthony charged at the android.
Just as he was closing in the android slapped Bonnie away and rushed at him. Before he could put on the brakes the android hit him with a running clothesline. Anthony was knocked off his feet and landed roughly on his back.
"Fool," laughed Judah, "I don't a give crap about the girl. I only want to play with you, she means nothing."
The android removed a pocket knife from its suit. "How about we take this game up a notch? Let's see if can stand the sight of your own blood."
As the knife rushed down towards him at an amazing speed Anthony closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain.
It never came.
Anthony opened his eyes to see the knife hovering over his shoulder blade. The android was still holding the knife but now someone was holding its hand tight keeping it from moving another inch.
It was Ron.
"If you think I'm going to lie there and let you hurt my family you're wrong."
The android struggled to remove its hand from Ron's grasp but it wouldn't budge. Ron leaned forward and punched the android in the chest with such force that he caused it to slide a few feet backwards on its heels.
Alarms began to ring out in its head, the impact of the blow had caused it severe damage to its system; it would barely be able to function now. It diverted all of its resources and energy to its feet just to remain standing.
Retreat, yes, it had been programmed to retreat if it needed critical repairs. Anymore damage and it would cease functioning.
It turned away from Ron and Anthony, but now someone else was in its way.
"No one touches my face like that!" Bonnie lifted her high heel shoe over and brought it down on the android's face. The heel of the shoe impaled the android in the eye. It convulsed in front of her slightly and then slumped to the ground motionless.
Ron gulped and took in lungful of air and then he stared at his fist in amazement. He caught Anthony looking at it from the floor, amazement on his face too.
"Hey tell me the truth… did you know that guy was android from the beginning?"
"Yeah," Anthony lied, "I did."
Ron stared into Anthony's eye for a moment and then he smiled. "Good." He looked up at Bonnie who was still beating on the Android's lifeless body.
"I wonder if she would have done that if it was human?" he laughed before passing out over his son's body.
"That was insane!"
Anthony groaned. "Now you say something, where were you a few minutes ago?"
"I'm sorry, things were happening so fast I was overwhelmed."
Anthony rolled Ron's body off his. "You and me both."
XXXXXXX
Judah pushed his seat away from the monitor; the android was out of commission. He brought his hands together and reflected on the situation. He had managed to get a very interesting emotional reaction from a very interesting new friend. In addition he got a brief glimpse of the potential power of the Chosen, the other members will be so jealous.
A smile came to his face, long story short he had a really good time. His meetings with Anthony had been nothing but entertaining both times.
"I look forward to our next meeting Scion."
"Excuse me?"
Judah pirouetted to face Gemini. "Yes?"
"Yes… uh…" Gemini immediately noticed the way Judah was glowing with happiness and found it quite disturbing, "we've worked out a plan to hit Global Justice where it hurts. I wonder if you'd like to look it over."
Judah's eyes lit up. "I'd love too but, with your permission of course, I have a few ideas of mine own I'd like to incorporate into your plans."
Gemini frowned.
Judah smacked him on the back for a second time. "Oh don't worry about it big man. You're still in charge, I just have a few minor additions that will help WEE make a really big impact."
"Fine, I'm all ears."
"There you go! The minute I walked into this lair I said to myself, I'm going to enjoy working with a man like Gemini."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Bonnie turned to Anthony who sat in the passenger seat. "You sure you don't want to me to drop you guys off at the hospital?"
"No its fine, we just want to go home and get to bed," he replied.
"You know BonBon, there is heck of a lot of room back here," Ron remarked from the back seats. "And it's so comfy too."
She smiled at him. "Well enjoy it while you can, because this is the last and only time you'll get to see it."
"Well, a man can dream, can't he?" Ron replied as he stepped through the back door.
Bonnie turned to Anthony. "How was your first time?"
"Uh, it's certainly was a date to remember."
She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips, Anthony's face instantly turned bright red.
"Good, since it was fun we should do it again"
"I we… I muh… wuh… ya… ok…"
Anthony clumsily stumbled out of the door and waved goodbye as Bonnie drove away.
He turned to Ron. "She's on a completely different universe than me." He looked at the bouquet of white roses in Ron's hand. Ron had insisted that they stop and picked some up flowers before he got home.
"Why did you get those anyway?"
"Because my battle's just beginning." He motioned for Anthony to look forward. There was Kim still standing on the porch, waiting for them.
She gave them a look that could peel paint.
Ron sighed. "If looks could kill"
XXXXXXXXXXX
Later that night
The light of a full moon shone through the blinds on the windows of the guest room and illuminated Anthony's face as lay in bed under the covers.
"If you think about it, today was a pretty good day. You basically got fondled by a hot chick and you saw your dad lay the smack down on an android. Can anyone really ask for anything more?"
"Right," Anthony answered half heartedly, as he shifted under the bedcovers. "Aaron, if you knew that Android was human, would you have killed him?"
There was a pause. "Ideally I would like to say no. But in reality… I probably would have done the same thing. That's probably why I didn't try and stop you. Your parent's ideology is great but we're fighting a war here. I'm not saying we need to go on a rampage, what I'm saying is can you win a war without killing someone?"
"No, I don't think so." He thought some more about Aaron's question. His objective and how to achieve it; had always been clear to him. But now…
"Hey Aaron, I need some bedtime music."
"Sure what do you want to hear?"
"Something mellow."
A/N Alright I need feedback on two things the OC villain Judah and my take on Bonnie. I'd really like to hear what you guys think. Anyway the next two chapters are going to be huge and I promise more Mother/Son time.